Ymir

Ymir (Old Norse: Ymir) is the primordial giant — the very first being to exist. He arose in Ginnungagap (the primeval void) when the ice of Niflheim met the fire of Muspelheim, creating the first life-giving moisture. Ymir was nourished by the milk of the cow Auðhumla, who licked herself free from the salt ice. From Ymir's armpits grew a man and a woman, and from his legs a son who mated with each other, giving rise to the first giants. Odin, Vili, and Vé — Ymir's descendants through the Búri line — slew him. From his body they created the world: his flesh became the earth, his blood the seas and rivers, his bones the mountains, his hair the trees, his brain the clouds, and his skull the sky.